The One They Missed
by ZONKOFRED
Summary: Find out why Gwen didn't get her Hogwarts letter, whats up with her Ex, if she'll ever get with Draco Malfoy, and the real reason Gwen is the way she is. (may seem Mary-Sue-ish, but she's NOT the annoying stereo-typical perfect type, and she will NOT end
1. Happy Birthday To Me

Gwen Gradigh ("Fair Noble")

Gwen Gradigh ("Fair Noble")

Hello everyone! This is my first fic, and I hope you all like it! Please r/r so I know what you think! Oh, and just one thing, I'm not sure what the year should be on Gwen's locket, so I just wrote it as if this was happening this year. It might not seem like this has anything to do with the Harry Potter series at first, but be patient, it will.K, enjoy!

CHAPTER ONE

"I HATE YOU! You don't care about me at all! You and Mum just had a kid because you thought it would help your careers, making your bosses think you have a heart. Ha!" Gwen Gradigh's bright eyes flashed warningly. 

Albric Gradigh had never seen his daughter this angry. Normally, he couldn't tell what she was thinking or feeling, and he knew she liked it that way. He had no idea where this sudden outburst had come from.

"What brought this on, Gwen? What did I do?" he asked, looking confused.

"It's what you DIDN'T do! You just don't get it!" But she stopped speaking suddenly, and stared at her father with an odd expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that, young lady? Do I have something on my face?"

Gwen took off her blue tinted prescription glasses and narrowed her eyes in the dim light of the dining room. Was she seeing right? 

"Father, what on earth did you do to your nose?!" she exclaimed, momentarily forgetting her anger. She wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but his nose seemed to be… green. Her father looked affronted. 

"What's wrong with my nose, I'd like to know? We aren't all gifted with perfect noses, but you don't have to insult me." He exclaimed.

"No, you don't understand… your nose, it's GREEN! Look!" she said.

Mr. Gradigh turned in his chair at the head of the long oak dining room table, and checked his reflection in the glass china-cabinet door.He cursed at what he saw. 

"I don't know what kind of trick you're trying to pull, but if I can't go to that benefit tonight, because of a-a GREEN nose, you're… you…" He didn't know what to say, he had never punished Gwen before, he usually left that up to Hannah, the maid. He and Mrs. Gradigh were always off at some benefit or dinner or meeting, not often home, even for a meal. Gwen pretty much raised herself. She was sixteen but seemed older, she was very independent. 

Mr. Gradigh stormed up to the second floor bathroom, leaving Gwen alone with nothing but her thoughts and her dinner.

"Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear me-eee…" she whispered under her breath as she looked at the locket she had been trying to get her parents to notice all day. On the front was inscribed: 

To our dearest Gwen on your first birthday. 

8/15/85

_"8/15," _she thought_ " A.k.a August fifteenth. Today." _ She didn't care that there had been no presents; she had everything she wanted, materially, that is. What she did care about was the fact that no one had even mentioned that it was her birthday at all. They probably had no idea. Of course if they did, there'd be some expensive gift, left on the kitchen table with a note that said something like: Dear Gwen, sorry we couldn't be there. Have a nice day. 

_What's wrong with these people? I AM their daughter.You'd think… _

But Gwen's parents had never really acted as parents should. Of course, she lived in their house, they were responsible for her, and they'd always shown her off to their colleagues, but they weren't the ones who, during her childhood, had tucked her in at night, the ones who comforted her when she had a nightmare, or stayed home from work to be with her when she was sick. Usually, the one to do those things had always been whoever happened to be the maid of the Gradigh family at that time. Strangers, all of them. 

Gwen sighed and wondered absently if her father had gotten his nose back to normal yet.

_How on earth had he managed to turn his nose green? _

_ ***_

*_Reports of the curious change in the habits of Britain's owl population continue to increase. Since June this year, the National Association of our Fine-Feathered Friends has reported major increases in sightings of owls flying in broad daylight. It is quite normal to see the occasional nocturnal animal out in the day, but for an entire species to suddenly change it's entire sleeping pattern…* _

Gwen picked up the remote and, with faint sound of disgust, flicked the T.V. off. 

_What's wrong with this world when the biggest news of the day is the sleeping pattern of "Our Fine Feathered Friends?" Gwen thought irritably. _

She started to get up, when the door to the rec room opened. 

"We're off now. We'll be back late, don't wait up!" 

Gwen's mother was dressed in a long evening gown of deep red that set off her tanned complexion perfectly, and her father wore what Gwen recognized as his best Armani suit, though all his clothes were impeccable. His nose was bright red from scrubbing, but the green color was gone.

"_There must be a lot of money to be made tonight." Gwen thought wryly. She fiddled with her locket in one last attempt, but to no avail. The door closed behind them, and Gwen heard the Mercedes drive off into the night of her sixteenth birthday._

***

Gwen roamed the streets that night without aim, drifting listlessly around town. She was hardly aware when she walked by a little pub she had never seen before. She looked up at the sign above the door. The Leaky Cauldron. "_Odd name._" Gwen thought as she stepped across the threshold.

_OK, so the first bit might be a smidge dull, but I promise it'll get more interesting! I'll only post again if I get reviews! Ok, maybe that's not entirely true, I'm addicted to writing, but still, I love reviews!_


	2. Can I do That?

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO 

As she started into the Leaky Cauldron, a chill ran up Gwen's spine. It was not from cold, as it was the middle of August, but there was a kind of electricity in the air of the small, dimly lit pub. It was a new, yet strangely familiar sensation that seemed to draw Gwen in and wrap comforting arms about her. 

The Leaky Cauldron turned out to be larger inside than it looked from the street. There was one main room with tables scattered around, and a bar that ran along the far wall. Off of this main room was a narrow hallway with doors off of it, and at the end, a staircase led up to what Gwen thought must be sleeping quarters. 

She sat at the bar, and searched the menu for a drink she recognized. 

_"Pumpkin juice? Vlad's Delight? What are these drinks? What is this place?" _she asked herself, for the first time thinking about where she was._ "I've only seen people like this once before in my life, and if it's anything like what I remember, I don't want to be here. What made me come in the first place?"_ Gwen wondered.

She looked at the people around her. There were people with cloaks, and people with owls and people who hardly looked like people at all. 

Gwen realized with horror that she had inadvertently brought herself back into the world she wanted to forget, the places and things she had so far succeeded in ignoring. "_Would HE be here? What brought me back to this world?" _she asked herself warily.

_"Fate."_ A nasty little voice in her head told her defiantly. 

_"No!"_ she told herself firmly, _"It's purely coincidence."_

But the memory of Brett wouldn't let Gwen think it was simply coincidence that brought her back to his world for the second time. Brett. Her first love.

"_I gave you so much, and you just...left." _

_ _

Two summers ago, when Gwen was fourteen, she had met Brett. He was fifteen at the time, and seemed so sophisticated to her. He had black hair, crystal blue eyes, and a charming lopsided grin that had made Gwen want to die, but made her afraid at the same time that if she did she'd never get to see it again. She had been so wrong about him.

She wondered who that man had been, the one that was with Brett, that night. The one who had made the strangest request of her... in exchange for Brett's life, he'd said. 

But that was crazy. Nothing would ever come of it, some old wacko in a robe, waving a stick. What did he know? But Brett was safe. She had made sure of that, promising the madman things he thought he could get by waving his damned stick. 

How had Brett repaid her? He was off now with the school bimbo, parading her around town like she was some prize.

***

The door to the Leaky Cauldron opened, and a man walked in. He was tall and impressive-looking; a no-nonsense kind of man with silvery-blonde hair, and very cold grey eyes. 

"_Not the kind of man you'd want to cross._" Was what went through Gwen's mind as soon as she saw him.

Before the door closed behind him, a pale hand pushed it open again and a boy, just a bit younger than Gwen, walked in. She breathed in sharply. 

_"He is so HOT!"_ Gwen thought suddenly, surprising herself. He resembled the man he was with immensely, the same silvery-blonde hair and grey eyes. Gwen assumed the man to be the boy's father. The pair walked up to the bar, and sat on the vacant stools to Gwen's right looking like they owned the place. 

"_And the way the bar-tender is falling all over them, they probably do." _Gwen thought. It was a familiar sight, the old bartender running to and fro to get them anything they wanted. People who were looking to climb the corporate ladder did that to her father all the time, and once they knew Gwen was his daughter, she got the royal treatment too, though she didn't much enjoy it, complete strangers fawning on your every need tended to be annoying.

_ZAP!! _

There was a commotion near the door of the small pub. Gwen stood up and moved so she could see what was happening. There was a man, looking stunned, backing away from the door of the pub. His face and clothes looked charred, and he stumbled as he backed away. This man looked strangely familiar, but the astonished look on his face and the fact that his skin had turned a blackish color made it hard to tell, and before she could think about it, something happened to distract her. Suddenly off to Gwen's right a short, pudgy man, in a cloak appeared out of thin air with a faint **pop. **He wore a lurid green bowler hat, a purple tie and shiny red boots. He looked around as if it were perfectly natural to appear out of thin air. 

"Where's Tom?" The little man yelled over the din of the people crowding around the door.

"I'm over here, Fudge." The owner of the Leaky Cauldron worked his way over to where the small man stood.

"What's wrong Minister?" he asked, looking innocent. Fudge drew him away from the crowd, and nearer to where Gwen sat. She pretended not to be listening, but really she was looking for any clue as to what this place was. The silver-haired man got up and joined them.

"Tom, you know you can't go around 'Zapping' Muggles who try to get in here." The portly man said firmly. Obviously, he had some authority because Tom looked nervous. 

"_I _didn't ZAP the muggle, the door did. He had no business being here. I don't know how he could even see the place, most muggles just walk by..."

_"Muggles? _What on Earth...?" Gwen muttered. Then she noticed that she was being watched. Gwen turned and to her surprise, the guy with the silvery-blonde hair was gazing at her curiously with intense grey eyes.

"Did you just say you don't know what a muggle is? Where are you _from?"_ he asked, looking incredulous. 

"_Should _I know what a muggle is? I've never heard the word in my life." Gwen answered, trying to ignore the fact that this complete stranger was talking to her like she was an idiot. 

"Well, it's obvious you're not a muggle, or you would've ended up like Charred Charlie out there," he said, nodding in the direction of the street. "But if you were a wizard... you'd know. And besides that, you'd go to Hogwarts." The boy answered, his grey eyes narrowing. "You _do _know what Hogwarts is, _don't _you?"

__

"Erm... no." Gwen replied, feeling stupider by the second. "Is it a new club?" she asked. The boy snorted. 

"NO, it's _only _the greatest wizarding school in the world. Well it was, until that prat Dumbledore got hold of it." He said.

_ _

_"Wizarding?" _Gwen thought. _That's what that loony said last summer, the one that had Brett. What if it was real? What if all those things he said were true? And he took my...No, it's not possible! But then... how did that guy, Fudge I think his name was, how did he appear out of thin air? It could've been a trick of the light, or an illusion, but no. I have a feeling this is the real thing." _Gwen thought. She had to find out for sure.

"Are you planning on explaining all this? Or are you simply going to continue standing there looking at me like my head is on fire?" Gwen asked. 

The boy started speaking, a superior look on his face as if he was extremely proud of what he was saying. "I am a wizard." he said, and by the look of his face, it was apparent that he thought Gwen should leap for joy. Gwen raised an eyebrow at him. "Who put you up to this? It's a very good joke, but c'mon, it's a little above and beyond reality, don't you think?" Gwen said. "What's your name? You're a very good actor." "My name is Draco Malfoy, but I'm not an actor, I'm a wizard. And so are you." 

"Prove it." Gwen challenged. She never would have given this a serious thought under normal circumstances, but the atmosphere of the Leaky Cauldron made Gwen have the strangest feeling that anything was possible. The boy called Draco Malfoy took something out of his robes. The object caught the dim light in the room as her drew it out of his pocket; it was a wand. 

"Now, watch and believe." He said. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Gwen's glasses lifted off of her face, hovered a foot above her head, flipped upside down twice, and returned securely to their place on her nose. 

"Whoa." She said in a whisper. "You're saying I could do stuff like that?" she asked.

"With the right training, you could." Draco answered. 

"And where do I get this training?" Gwen asked, raising an eyebrow and looking expectant.

"I told you, Hogwarts. You should write to Dumbledore. He'll let you in, he lets anyone in, that old muggle-lover." Draco said disgustedly. 

Three hours later, Gwen was creeping to her bedroom on the third floor of her house. A letter with an emerald seal was clutched firmly in her hand from the Headmaster of Hogwarts school.The fact that she had gotten into the Leaky Cauldron had convinced him that she had magic in her, and she was to be on the train to Hogwarts on September first.

A/n 

I want to say thanks to everyone who reviewed! Shy lil writer, Janine, Amy, Virginia, Rosie, moonka_d, Jessi, Lori, Kim, Fantacy, Lupin, and a thanks to J. Sebastian Black for being honest. I promise you I didn't forget that the Hogwarts book doesn't usually miss people, and I've got that covered. Give me a chance to elaborate, that was only the prologue! Oh, and yes to whoever asked if Gwen lives in London, and yes Virginia, as you saw, Draco will be in this! =) You know I'd never write a fic without him, even though he is so hard to write. And thanks to Rosie Dumbledore for all your help! I love your suggestions! 

I'll put up the next part soon... or later, depending on how many reviews I get! I love reviews, they make me happy and I write best when I'm happy! The fate of this story is in your lovely reviewers hands!!


	3. Introducing Draco Junior!!

Bkwm512: ok, so hes looking at brooms in the window of the shop, and gwens passing by

A_/N: _

_((I skipped over writing the part where Gwen tries to convince her parents… didn't wanna pull a Binns on y'all._

_I think I explained it enough for you to know how she did it, so… enjoy! _

_Oh, and I want to give a shout out to my awesome friend, Virginia, for helping me out with Draco! _

_Oh, and he(Draco) may seem a bit OOC this chapter, but I think, IMHO, that he isn't horrible to EVERYONE, just Gryffindors. He's only sarcastic and a bit mean to everyone else =)))_

Gwen woke up the sunny morning after her sixteenth birthday still in her clothes from the day before. 

"So it wasn't a dream." She muttered to herself as she rolled over in bed and saw the letter from the man named Albus Dumbledore on her night stand. 

She had been accepted to a school where everything would be different, where she could chose her own destiny. The only thing to do now was convince her parents to let her go.

***

Gwen sighed with relief as she walked down the main road in the village of Hogsmeade with her bags of robes, a wand, a cauldron, and other magical things she didn't yet understand, but only knew she would need.

All she had had to do to convince her parents to let her go to Hogwarts was tell them it was a very elite school, with a very good reputation. After all, she was sixteen, and old enough to decide where she wanted to go to school.She hadn't even had to lie. She hadn't told them it was a school for witchcraft because, frankly, they wouldn't have believed her.

The letter from Dumbledore had told her all she needed to know about getting to Hogsmeade, what she would need for school, and how to get onto the right platform. Apparently she had to walk through a wall. 

_ _

_Right, well, I'll worry about that later. Gwen thought, but suddenly, she had something else to worry about. _

Brett. 

He was standing in the middle of the road, holding hands, and whispering something to his newest bimbo. 

Gwen didn't want him to see her standing alone, pathetically alone, so she looked around quickly for a shop to go into until he passed. But then Gwen noticed something that would serve her purpose better. 

The blonde-haired boy from the Leaky Cauldron… Oh, what was his name… Draco! Yes. That was it. Draco Malfoy… was standing in front of a shop nearby, looking at broomsticks.

Gwen walked his way and, pretending to have just noticed him, said, "Oh, hi. Remember me?" she said.  
  


Draco looked over at her, and then recognized her. "Unfortunately yes, despite attempts to cleanse my memory."He said.  
  


Gwen stifled a laugh, tried to look indignant and, failing terribly, said, "Well, who shoved roses up _your ass this morning?" _

Draco smiled. "Hey, I like the way you talk. C'mon, let's go get a Butterbeer." 

Gwen smiled, shrugged, and said, "Ok." She had time to kill, as she had gotten most of her shopping done quickly, and she thought Draco was amusing, not to mention cute.

  
***

"Hey! Wench! Get us two Butterbeers!" Draco yelled at the fat woman behind the bar.   
Gwen smiled again, shaking her head as she pulled back a chair from a table and sat down. 

"So, what year are you in?" she asked. Dumbledore's letter had explained all about how Hogwarts worked, and about the houses and classes.  
  


"I'm going into fifth now. I suppose you're going to be a Slytherin. You've got a smart mouth." Draco said, leaning leisurely back on the chair. 

_ _

_Damn, he's cute.  
_

"So, you'd be a Slytherin too, then?" Gwen asked. "If they're defined by being smart-asses?"  


"Yep. Slytherin turns out the most terrorists, mass murderers, serial rapists, dark wizards, and soap opera writers of any of the houses." Draco answered.  
  


"Well then, I guess you're right. That's probably where I belong." Gwen said laughing.  
Just then, the fat woman came with their butterbeers. She put them on the table, and scuttled away, looking over her shoulder at Draco in a weird way. Gwen noticed many people looked at Draco this way; fear mingled with hatred. 

Draco sipped from his butterbeer, and Gwen did the same.  


"So... Let me guess." Gwen said, setting down her glass on the table. "From the way everyone looks at you, one of your parents is someone important, right?"  
  


Draco scowled and looked away. "My dad's an asshole. A freaking asshole, and everyone knows his name. He has half the Ministry in the palm of his hand, that's the only thing I like about the slimy git."   
  


"Yeah, I know the feeling. My dad's just like that. And then everyone looks at you like you could get them fired with a word, and they hate you for it." Draco looked at Gwen. 

"But how does your dad _treat_ you?" he asked. Draco's eyes were piercing and accusing, and Gwen didn't like being under his heated gaze.  
  


"Well." Gwen started, a bit uncomfortable talking about her family to this almost-stranger. 

"I think, to him, I'm a possession. He can brag about me to his friends, and he can buy me everything I want, so he feels needed... but he doesn't really care. Like when I go to Hogwarts, he won't miss me, he'll just be happy that he can brag to his golf buddies about his daughter at boarding school."  
  


Draco face showed no expression. "That's a lot like my father. But my father..." Draco shook his head. "Never mind. Just... never mind." Draco said. "So you're Muggle born?"  
  


Gwen nodded. "But sometimes I think there must have been some horrible mix-up when I was born, and I just have to hope I won't turn out like them." Gwen said.   
  


Draco smirked. "Father would hang me if he knew I was hanging out with a Mudblood. If he shows up, just tell him you're Pureblood."   
  


"Mudblood? I don't like the sound of that. All right, if he comes, I'm a pureblood." Gwen said, nodding. She wasn't above lying to keep out of trouble.  
  


"Good then." 

As if on cue, a tall, pale, silvery-blonde haired man came into the Three Broomsticks. Draco sat up straight, rigid, his eyes open wide as he tried to hide his face behind his butterbeer. 

"That's my father." Draco said quietly. 

"Oh yes, I remember. I saw him here that night." Gwen said. Lucius reminded her a bit of her father, but Mr. Gradigh wasn't quite as cold, nor was he half as impressive-looking as Lucius Malfoy's tall, ram-rod straight form was. Impressive, but chilling.   
  


Lucius spotted Draco in an instant. It wasn't very hard to pick Draco out from a crowd, as his silvery hair shone like a beacon everywhere he went. 

"Draco." Lucius said, forcefully putting a hand on Draco's shoulder. Gwen saw Draco flinch. It was obviously Lucius' way to "hit" Draco in public and make it look casual.

"Father..." Draco said, a bit shakily.

"Who's this?" Lucius peered down at Gwen with distaste. "Another one of your girls?"

"No, this is Gwen... she's a Pureblood... can you take your hand off my shoulder?" Draco said, cringing.  
  


"Eh?" Lucius looked back at Gwen, keeping his hand on Draco's shoulder. He seemed to push it down harder now. Lucius had an odd expression suddenly. 

"You... she reminds me of someone..." Lucius had a look in his eyes, as if he were trying to remember something that had annoyed him a lot somewhere in his past, and was annoying him again by escaping his memory.  


Gwen knew how to deal with her father's cronies, and figured Lucius couldn't be much different, so she approached him as she would them. She looked him straight in his cold eyes, her chin slightly tilted up, and asked, "Who do I remind you of?"   
  


Lucius scowled, and didn't answer her question.

"Put your chin down when you speak to me." Lucius said. He turned away from Gwen. 

"Draco, I want you to meet me back here in five hours." Lucius said. Draco nodded. 

"Yes, Father." Draco said. He quickly stood, and Gwen did the same. They then left the Three Broomsticks, Draco looking rather nervous.

  
***

"You're right." Gwen said as they walked down the main street of Hogsmeade.  
  


"What?" Draco asked. He had recovered his coolness and confidence. 

"You're right, he is an ass." Gwen explained.

Draco smiled. "You don't know half of it. I have to live with him." He said.  
  


"Well, at least you get away for school." Gwen said.   
  


"Yeah right. I have to come home every other weekend and he sends me loads of extra work to do." Draco said.  
  


"Wow. I wouldn't be able to put up with it, I think I'd have to run away and join the circus or something!" Gwen said.  
  


Draco smirked. "He'd find me anyway. That's what sucks about the magical world. With Dark Magic, he can find me anywhere."  
  


"Man, suddenly I'm glad I'm the only witch in my family." Gwen said, shaking her head, making locks of her reddish-brown waves of hair fall in her eyes. She pushed them back absently. 

"Well, I still have to pick out an animal..." Gwen said. 

"Right. I'll come with you." Draco said, and they went towards the Hauntatorium.  
They went into the shop, and Gwen stared around her, astounded. She had seen a lot of wonderful places that day, but this was spectacular. There were walls of cages and perches; jewel-bright eyes stared out at them from all over, and the air was filled with twittering, scurrying, meowing, and a host of other noises. 

"Well, what do you suggest, Draco?" Gwen asked Draco holding up her hands to indicate the many cages full of magical creatures.  


"I suggest the cats or the owls." Draco said. "The ravens are good, too." 

"Hmm... all right." Gwen said. She looked over at the wall where the cages contained cats of all colors. "I never could have a cat... Mother was allergic." Gwen said. "But I think that's what I'll get. There must be some magical way to stop Mother from being bothered." She scanned the cages quickly, and her gaze came to rest on a tiny blue fluff-ball. Gwen grinned. 

"That's the one I want." she said, opening the cage. A sign above it said: Full-grown blue angora. Draco grinned. 

"Those little pansy things? When I said cat, I meant those." Draco said, pointing at the cages down the hall which housed sleeping panthers. 

"Ha! I'm worried about what Hannah would say if I brought home the fluff-ball, You've no idea how she'd flip if she saw one of those!" Gwen said.  
  


"Hannah?" Draco asked.  
  


"The housekeeper. She's more like a mother than mother is, though neither of them bothers with the caring about me part. She just nags at me not to make a mess." Gwen explained.  
  


"Ah." Draco nodded. "So you want to get the angora?" Draco said, looking at the blue fluffball in Gwen's arms.  
  


"Yeah, I don't dare get anything bigger, and it _is kind of cute." Gwen smiled, and headed to the cash register.  
  
_

"Hold up. Want to help me pick out a gift for my girlfriend?" Draco smiled.   


"Sure." Gwen said. "What do you think she'd like?" she asked, cursing on the inside. 

_And you thought he__ wouldn't have a girlfriend? Gwen thought sardonically. _

_  
***_

The next day, Gwen got out of the car in front of King's Cross Station and looked around smiling. She was finally here.Mr. Gradigh took her enormous trunk out from the back of the car and set it on a cart.The two silently wheeled it through the station. Gwen stopped at platform nine, and told her father, "This is it, Father. You can go, if you want, I'll be all right getting on the train myself."

"All right, I have a meeting in an hour anyway, I'll have time to stop for breakfast. Do well, try hard, and be the best." He said. 

"Right." Gwen said, and watched her father walk back to the car.

Gwen looked around her to see if anyone was watching, before disappearing through the wall between platforms nine and ten.

Gwen gasped at the scene that opened before her as she came through the other side of the wall. Abrilliant scarlet steam engine was puffing on the tracks; cats wove in and out between trunks, people in cloaks, and people in muggle clothes; and Owls hooted, disgruntled, to one another from their cages.

Gwen smiled contentedly_. This is where I belong._ She pushed the cart with her trunk on it nearer the train, and tried to lift it on.

"I know, Father. You don't have to drill it into me." Gwen heard a familiar voice say. She turned to see an angry Draco talking to his extremely tall father. 

"Fine. But remember what I said, Draco." Lucius ordered. 

"I will." Draco sighed, turning. His eyes seemed to immediately catch Gwen. 

She was struggling with her trunk, but stopped when Draco caught her eye. She smiled.

"Hey Gwen." He yelled as he walked towards her, easily pushing a trolley. "Load your stuff on here." He said.

"Thanks, I'd never get this thing onmyself." Gwen answered.

"No problem, but when my girlfriend comes you're my little sister." Draco said.

Gwen nodded, "Right, we wouldn't want you in the dog house." she answered, smiling.

Suddenly, a high pitched voice rang out over them. 

"Draco!" it yelled. 

"Oh great. That's her." Draco said mournfully.

Gwen laughed again. "Can't you find someone that you like?" she asked him quietly as a girl younger than Gwen came bouncing along.

"I could, but she's hot, so I don't bother." Draco whispered to Gwen, smiling.

"Hi Draco!" the girl screamed. She was very pretty, tall and thin.

"Um... Allison, this is my little sister Gwen. Gwen, this is Allison." Draco said. Gwen knew what Draco meant when he had described his girlfriend as "really stupid" now. 

"Oh! Hi Gwen!" Allison chirped. Anyone with half a brain would be able to see that Gwen was older than Draco, and that the two could most definitely not be related.

"Hi Allison," Gwen said slowly, trying not to confuse the poor girl with too many syllables at once.

"Okay well anyway I'm going to sit with my friends. Bye Draco!" Allison bounced off again, towards a group of girls that all looked oddly the same.

"Let's get on the train, shall we?" Gwen said.

"Right." Draco said. He began to walk toward the train, leaving the trolley with their luggage behind. 

"Hello! Draco, aren't you forgetting something?" Gwen shouted.

"Ha ha. You must be kidding. You're pushing it." Draco said. 

"Yeah right! I'm no baggage girl, either you take both or I take mine and shove yours..." she continued to describe where Draco's trunk would be lodged, and... well, you get the picture.

Draco smirked. "Get the baggage, or my Father will hear of it." Draco threatened.

"Ha! You're more afraid of your father than I am." Gwen challenged, showing her independent side.

Draco shrugged and walked to the trolley. He pushed Gwen's stuff off the pile, and pushed the trolley to the train. "Hurry up of you want to sit with me." Draco said.

"What, is there a line to sit with the great Draco?" Gwen asked with a laugh.

"Actually," Draco smirked, "There is." 

Just then, Gwen noticed all the girls that were beginning to congregate around Draco as if he were a superstar.

"Oh my god." Gwen muttered. "Unbelievable." shaking her head, Gwen put her trunk and the angora onto a trolley and climbed onto the train unassisted.

***

Gwen sat in the compartment with Draco, watching out the window as the neat, ordered fields melt away into wilderness.

"So, you got rid of your fanclub? Where exactly does one send a fan club when they're sick of them?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, I send them off to polish my shoes." Draco answered with a grin.

Gwen laughed, noticed idly that she did that Draco made her do that a lot,andasked, "Hey, what do you think I should name it?" Gwen asked, taking out her blue angora. 

"Umm... Fluffy." Draco offered. 

"Oooo. Bet that one took a lot of thought." Gwen smirked. 

"Umm... Draco Jr." Draco said.

Gwen burst out laughing. "You are so full of yourself, it's hilarious! But it might be cute... I could call it D.J."

"Yeh. Or name it Killer." Draco smiled, looking at the defenseless little ball of fluff.

"Fang or Ripper." Gwen suggested.

"Or Voldemort." Draco smirked.

"What?" Gwen asked. "What kind of name is that?"

Draco's smiled disappeared. "You don't know who Voldemort is?"

"No." Gwen answered, but she got a chill each time Draco said the name, as if she were reminded of some distant nightmare from long ago. 

"You'll know soon enough." Draco said, turning back to the angora. "Have you decided yet?"

"Well, for a lack of anything better, and in honor of the person who first introduced me to the wizarding world," she said turning to the little fuzz ball, "I hereby dub thee... Draco Jr."

Draco smiled at Gwen. He had an expression she hadn't seen yet on his face, like he was wondering why Gwen talked to him. 

I wonder if he's ever had a real friend before? The look on his face prompted her to think suddenly.

She isn't like the girls who follow me around, trying to get their paws on my money, or Crabbe and Goyle, so stupid they need someone like me to tell them what to do.

_ _

"So... want to go annoy Potter?" Draco grinned.

"Potter? Who's that?" Gwen asked. 

"He's the boy who lived. Don't worry, you'll hear way too much about him in your history books." Draco smiled. "So... are you up to it?"

"All right, where do we find him?" she asked.

"Just follow me." Draco said. 

They went out into the hall. Draco peered into the windows of each compartment until he stopped in front of one. 

"Bingo." He said. Draco turned to Gwen. "He's in here."

Gwen smiled mischievously. "I've been wanting a little fun." she said. "Let's go."

Draco pushed open the door and stepped inside. 

Gwen heard moans of anger greet him as Draco stepped in. 

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Gwen saw a black haired boy ask. The boy had the most catching green eyes... 

"So nice to see you too, Potter!" Draco smiled all-too-kindly. 

A girl with bushy brown hair eyed Gwen hatefully. 

"Who's this, Malfoy? Another of your sluts?" the girl sneered.

Draco stepped aside, and waved Gwen in.

"Losers, I'd like you to meet Gwen. She's new, and she's Slytherin to the core." he said.

Gwen laughed. "Now we don't know that yet, we'll see..." Gwen paused, looked at the bushy haired girl, and said "And I am NOT a slut. And I don't belong to him, or anyone else." she said, not in anger, but amusedly.

"Well you're hanging out with him." the girl snapped.

Gwen laughed scornfully. "What an astute observation. Is that how it is at Hogwarts? You hang out with a guy and you're a slut? Draco, you should have warned me." she said.

"Well then I guess you, Mudblood, must be a major slut, 'cause God knows you're always with Weasley and Potter." Draco said to the girl scathingly, never breaking his amused glare. 

"What do you want here, Malfoy? It's not like you to come without your thugs." Harry said.

"I just want to remind you losers that I haven't forgotten what happened on the way home last year, and I won't let you forget it, either." Draco said, mostly directing this towards the black-haired boy whom Gwen assumed was Potter. Gwen was staring at him, trying to figure out why this complete stranger looked so familiar, but she shrugged it off as, after finishing his threat, Draco headed out of the compartment.

***

Back in their compartment, Draco showed Gwen how to play exploding snap. Usually, when someone shows a person how to play a game for the first time, they go easy on the beginner, but Draco showed no mercy. 

Which is exactly what I would expect, knowing what I do about him, Gwen thought.

Gwen had started to get a hang of the game, when a voice echoed through the train. 

"We will be reaching Hogwarts momentarily. Please have your school robes on, and leave your trunks on the train. They will be taken up separately."

Gwen glanced up at Draco, her first pang of nervousness overtaken by a huge wave of excitement.

"It's almost time, I can't wait, Draco! This is going to be so amazing!" Gwen said, jumping up and hurrying around the compartment getting her robes out.

"You're not nervous? In my first year, I was shaking in my boots right about now." He said, laughing at her excitement. 

"Why would I be nervous? If you can do this, I certainly can." Gwen said. "Do you mind?" She said, looking at the door. "I need to change."

Draco grinned. "Nope, I don't mind _at all_." He said pointedly.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "I set myself up for that one, didn't I? Now out!" she said, pushing Draco out the door.

***


	4. The Hat And A Meeting

Chapter four:

Chapter four:

Gwen fidgeted with the hem of her robes as the immense scarlet steam engine slowed and then finally stopped. She looked out the window and saw that they had stopped in front of a tiny station; _Hogsmeade Station_, a sign told her.

_"What's up with these people and pigs?_" Gwen wondered.

She stepped out of the train. There were dozens of carriages, apparently drawn by invisible horses, lined up near the station. Gwen started to follow Draco in their direction, when a loud, scratchy voice called out, "Firs' years! Over here. All Firs' years and new students over here! Oy there Harry! All righ'?" 

An enormous man, three times the size of normal people, was standing next to a rocky path holding a dimly glowing lantern in his trash-can-lid sized hand.

"Well, I suppose that's me." Gwen said to Draco.

"I'd wish you good luck, but Malfoy's don't believe in luck. Besides, you don't need it. You're a shoe-in for Slytherin." Draco answered. "I'll see you in the Great Hall." 

Gwen watched him walk away with his carefully careless step towards a carriage that held a rather unpleasant-looking bunch of people, and then she turned to where the giant-man stood.

Gwen followed the group of shivering first years along a long, twisting path, which emerged on the pebbly shore of the moonlit lake with a row of small boats along it.

"No more'n four to a boat!" the giant man yelled out.Gwen climbed into an empty boat near her. Most of the others were already in, so she ended up with only one other person; a strawberry-blonde haired boy, who was so nervous he squeaked every time Gwen looked at him.

At the man's command, "Forward!" the boats moved towards the opposite side of the lake, a cliff on top of which stood Hogwarts castle.

Gwen thought the enormous castle looked like something out of a horror movie, looming there on top of the cliff, but the many windows were lit up, and the castle, oddly enough, looked both forbidding and welcoming at the same time. 

The small fleet of boats containing Hagrid, Gwen, and the cowering first-years next went inside a concealed opening in the face of the cliff, and then stopped on a rocky shore inside that had been set up as a kind of docking area. The crowd of first years and Gwen clambered out of the boats, and then followed the giant's lamp up a passageway in the rock until they emerged onto the damp lawn in the shadow of the massive castle. 

Up the flight of stone steps the group went, and stopped in front of an enormous oak door, intricately carved with creatures the likes of which Gwen had never seen.The giant held up an enormous fist and banged three times on the door to the castle.

The door was opened by a severe looking witch. Her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun and her lips were pursed in an almost permanent-looking expression of disapproval, but then she smiled, and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonnagal.Follow me, if you will."

The group moved into a cavernous entrance hall, and Gwen rolled her eyes at the first years excited attempts to look at everything at once. A sweeping marble staircase was off to the right, and facing the group was a pair of oak doors, out of which the buzz of a thousand voices floated to their ears. McGonnagal stopped the group in front of this door. 

"Normally, you would be taken into a separate chamber for a moment to tidy yourselves up, but the train was running late today, and you will go directly into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony."And with that, she led them in.

***

"Gradigh, Gwendolynne"

A small murmur of interest swept through the throng of hungry, and formerly uninterested students as they wondered who this girl was. She obviously couldn't be eleven years old. Her body wasn't that of a child, and her confident half-smirk in the general direction of the other students was very different from the way the younger children stared at the enchanted ceiling to avoid looking at the crowd.

She sat on the three-legged stool, placed the filthy hat on her head gingerly, and fiddled with her locket as she waited for something to happen.

"Well, well, well. You're a complicated one, aren't you?A past much clouded... Let's see, first thing I notice: you've got smarts. But you don't much fancy applying yourself to school work, eh? So the raven's not your place, nor is the badger..." the voice in her ear was like metal, tinny, but not unpleasant to the ears. She waited for it to speak again. This is taking too long. She tapped her foot on the rung of the stool. 

"well?" She thought at the voice. 

"Not a patient one, are you? Well, we don't want to go putting you in the wrong place, do we? Hmm... at first glance you seem a Slytherin type, but I can see that deep inside you, you have the makings of a GRYFFINDOR!" 

The last word echoed through the enormous Great Hall as Gwen pulled the hat off and stepped down to the cheers of the table on the left. Two identical red-heads cat-called as she slipped into a seat. Gwen now had a chance to look over the Great Hall from her seat with the Gryffindors. There were three other house tables, packed with students under the millions of floating candles that lit the large stone chamber. A longer table ran perpendicular to the four house tables, at which the staff was seated. In the middle was, unmistakably Professor Dumbledore, as his chair was taller than the others and edged in gold gilt, unlike the others which were edged in silver.

As the sorting ceremony went on, Gwen realized how hungry she was, and groaned when she saw how long the line of first years still was.

"Sorting Ceremony's a bloody pain, eh?" a voice from beside her said with a bit of an Irish touch to it. Gwen turned, and saw a sandy-haired guy, a little younger than herself. She nodded, and he smiled at her with laughing green eyes. "Seamus Finnigan." He said.

"Gwen Gradigh." She answered, smiling back cautiously.

Gwen turned away from Seamus and scanned the table, wondering if she'd be put in classes with the first years, or with people her own age. 

Not likely they'll let me go with people who've been here so much longer than I have, but they can't seriously stick me with a bunch of babies.

The line of first years dwindled slowly down, and finally, as "Zari, Jacob" was sorted into Gryffindor, mounds of food appeared on the glittering gold plates and the goblets filled with drinks. Gwen took a bit of ham and put it on a roll with mustard and ate it until most of the others were finished. A satisfied hush fell over the students, like a cool sheet on a hot summer night. The headmaster stood and waited until the few students that were talking quietly stopped, and then he spoke.

"Welcome! Welcome everyone to a new year at Hogwarts!" as he said this, Dumbledore spread his arms wide as if to embrace them as one. "Though last year ended in a tragic incident, and we should all keep the memory of Mr. Diggory close to our hearts; we hope to move on as normal this year and continue to strive toward our goal of education.There will, however be a few new rules in place.As always, I would like to reiterate the fact that the appropriately named Forbidden Forrest is indeed forbidden. Mr.'s Weasley, I know with this being your final year at Hogwarts, (With this, the faces at the staff table all showed various degrees of relief) it may be difficult to adhere to this, but I urge you to try." 

The two red-headed cat-callers grinned at the headmaster and gave him the thumbs up.

"The additional regulations are put in place this year to insure your safety at Hogwarts from the additional threats that have come up. The grounds are off-limits to all students after dark, and a teacher will escort classes to and from Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. Also, there should be a chaperone present at all quidditch practices. Well, those are all the announcements I have, and I bid you goodnight with these parting words: Nothing is better than perfect happiness, A ham sandwich is better than nothing, therefore A ham sandwich is better than perfect happiness." As the students began to leave the Great Hall, Dumbledore sighed happily, and looked down at the remains of his dinner fondly before they faded away with the rest of the food. "So simple. So simple and yet so true."

Gwen followed the Gryffindors out, and was about to start up the sweeping marble staircase, when a hand tapped her on the back. 

"Please, You are Miss Gwendolynne? Miss must come and see Professor Dumbledore. Fiona will show Miss where to find him." 

Gwen turned to see who was speaking to her, but found herself wondering not who, but what it was. The creature had a nose that looked like a squashed tomato and bulging yellow eyes that resembled tennis balls. Gwen shrugged, and started to follow obediently.The creature led her through the castle quickly, around twists and turns, through hidden passages in drapes, through paintings, and behind statues, until she finally stopped in front of a stone Gargoyle. 

"Jaw Breaker." The little creature said in its high-pitched voice. The gargoyle immediately came to life and stepped aside, staring at Gwen as Fiona pointed her up a set of moving spiral stairs, saying, "Sir is waiting for you, Miss Gwendolynne, in his office at the top."

Gwen stepped onto the stairs, and made her way to the large dark wooden door at the top. She knocked, and it opened right away. 

"Come in." a voice said, so she did. 

Gwen found herself in a circular room, with dozens of silver whirring things on shelves around it. A glass case with a sword inside stood in one corner of the room. Imbedded in the hilt were enormous rubies glinting in the cheerful light of the office. On a perch next to this was a bird the size of a swan but ten times as graceful, with glimmering scarlet and gold plumage. It watched languorously from amber eyes as Gwen stepped over to the desk that stood in the middle of the room. Behind this desk sat an extraordinary person, though Gwen couldn't know this right away. Albus Dumbledoresmiled his knowing smile at Gwen and invited her to sit down. 

"Well, Gwendolynne-"

"Just Gwen, if it's all right with you, Sir."

"Of course, Gwen. I asked you to come here because I am, of course, curious to see why we didn't pick up on your magical abilities before. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, just to try and get to the root of this?"

Gwen shrugged. "It's okay with me." The headmaster nodded.

"Do you often find that odd things happen when you are angry or nervous?" The headmaster's twinkly blue eyes looked into hers from behind his half-moon glasses. 

Gwen thought hard… there were a few things, but usually they had been slight things that she could easily explain away… her father's green nose, for example. She told Dumbledore about it, not really including the circumstances, though. 

"But I don't know that **_I _**did that, it might have happened because of anything." Gwen said as she finished telling Dumbledore.

"Well," the headmaster said, "A wizards' magic usually reflects their personality in some way. I'd be willing to wager that you have a somewhat sly, subtle sense of humor, unlike some people who would say the funniest thing they've ever seen is that episode where Joey got his head stuck in the turkey. It all depends on the wizard. You were playing a joke on your father unconsciously."

Gwen nodded.She looked up at him, wondering if they were done yet. 

"You have very unique eyes, Miss Gradigh." He said suddenly, quite out of the blue.He had a thoughtful look on his aged face. Gwen had been told this often; one of her eyes was an odd grey/blue color, and the other was hazel, so it varied in shades of green to brown. She didn't know quite what to say to this, so she didn't say anything, just fiddled with her locket. Dumbledore's eyes opened wide, and he suddenly got up from his chair. 

"You may go to your common room now, I'm not sure why you were missed, but as long as we found you, I think we can leave it at that." He said, but Gwen thought there was something he wasn't telling her.He had an odd look on his face, and Gwen wanted to question him, but didn't think she should. He was, after all, the headmaster. Not good to get on his list the first day, so Gwen just nodded.

"But I don't know where my common room is, Sir." Gwen said, hoping it wasn't far. 

"Oh, of course. I had almost forgotten." He walked over to the perch where the beautiful bird stood.The bird moved onto his outstretched arm, and he walked back to where Gwen stood by the door. 

"Follow Fawkes. He will lead you there.The portrait guard will let you in if you're with him, but make sure you find out the password in the morning."

Gwen nodded again. Fawkes whooshed past her ear, and hovered in the doorway. Gwen followed him down the stairs and around the castle until finally the bird stopped in front of a portrait of a rather large lady in a pink frilly dress. She was brushing her teeth, and didn't stop when she saw Gwen, just opened up to let her in.Fawkes he came in behind her and led her up another spiral staircase, past six doors, all the way to the top of the tower and hovered in front of a door with a sign on it that said, "Sixth year girls." Only when she put her hand on the doorknob did Fawkes fly off down the stairs and out the portrait hole. 

Gwen sighed with relief. She wasn't going to be put with a bunch of eleven-year-olds. She opened the door and crept in. It was late and all the lights were out, but it wasn't so dark she couldn't see. Gwen looked for the bed with her trunk next to it, quickly changed into her pajamas, and slipped into the empty four-poster. 

_I'm finally here._


	5. Faithful Little Servant

  
(A/N: The beginning of this chapter is just an intro to the room mates... not much plot... but there IS a plot in there... really!)  
  
  
The early morning sun streamed through the sixth year girls dorm, much to the annoyance of one Gwen Gradigh.   
  
"Mmmuffgrrr..." Gwen growled into her pillow, yelling at the sun to go away. She lifted her head up from under the pillow, her eyes squinted against the glaringly cheery light, expecting to see her midnight blue carpeted bedroom back at her house in London. Instead, the room was circular, and done in a deep shade of crimson. There was a golden lion emblem on the carpet in the middle of the circular room. Six beds stood, each with the headboard against the wall so that the end extended out to the middle, almost touching the edge of the giant golden lion.   
  
Gwen's attention was soon diverted from the layout of the dorm. A group of girls whom Gwen assumed to be her room mates was scattered around the room. One was sitting on the edge of her bed, a notebook clutched tightly and resting on her knees which were drawn up to her chest. She had a faraway look on her face, and every few seconds would scribble something down with a look of triumph in her blue eyes. Someone else was sitting on the widowsill, one foot up, the knee drawn to her chest, arms folded over the knee and her head resting on her arms. Her head was bobbing to music that played from her headphones as she looked absently over the grounds.   
  
Yet another was sitting on the floor with a furry... it could only be described as a "thing" in her lap, brushing its long dark brown fur. This girl was dressed all in black, a long black skirt, and laced up knee-high black boots.   
  
On the bed near the door, a blonde girl sat with a jar of salsa in her hand. She was actually eating it plain with her finger, straight from the jar, and seemed to be enjoying herself wholly.   
  
The final girl was seated at a desk, reading from a large textbook. The salsa-girl looked up from her delacasy and raised an eyebrow at her.   
  
"What the heck are you doing, Rissa? We haven't had a class yet, and it's Sunday. We don't have classes today at all." she asked her incredulously. The girl called Rissa looked up from her book and made a face at the salsa girl.   
  
"I was reading up on the Fidelius Charm. Flitwick hinted before the summer that we'd have a quiz on it in the beginning of the year. I wanted it to be fresh in my mind."   
  
The girl with the unidentified animal in her lap rolled her eyes, while the one with the headphones continued to bob her head.  
  
Gwen figured now was as good a time as any to make her appearance, so she sat up in the bed. Rissa smiled when she saw her, and stood up from the desk. She moved across the room and sat on the bed next to Gwen's.   
  
"We were wondering when you'd wake up. I'm Amaris. You can call me Rissa." she said. Before Gwen could respond, salsa-girl spoke.   
  
"I'm Bree." she told Gwen, smiling.   
  
Gwen nodded. "I'm Gwen. "   
  
Rissa spoke again. "That's Keelin," She said as she pointed to the writer, who smiled shyly.   
  
"Adriana," was the girl with the animal, who merely nodded, "and over there is Rae. She'd say hi, but... she probably has no clue whats going on right now. Once she puts those things on," she tapped her head with a finger, "Nothing gets in."  
  
Gwen glanced around the room again. "So... what do you people do for fun?" She asked no one in particular.  
  
"Salsa? What? Oh right... well we're thinking of going to Hogsmeade. Wanna come?" Bree said cheerfully.   
  
Adrianna shot Bree an icey glare. "Don't invite her, Bree." Adrianna said coldly, and the creature in her lap meowed in echo. The blue fluffball that was Draco Jr. growled back from Gwen's bed.  
  
Gwen glanced at Adriana with an annoyed look on her face that was half hidden by a smirk, and automatically went into defense-mode.  
  
"Now tell me something. What could you possibly have against me already? I haven't said two words yet and you're already the Ice Queen. What is it? You don't like the way I sleep?" Gwen asked sneeringly. "Cause that's all I've done here that I can think of."  
  
Adrianna raised her middle finger at Gwen. "Fuck you." she said, and the spikey-haired animal in her lap growled at Gwen,   
  
"Hey, hey you guys, how many times do I have to tell you? Violence is not the answer! Just ignore her Gwen." Bree told her.  
  
Gwen rolled her eyes at Adriana, and turned smiling to Bree.   
  
"So... anyway, about Hogsmeade. Thanks for the offer, but I have to meet someone today. Maybe some other time?"  
  
"Course. At least come with us to breakfast?" Bree answered.  
  
"Sure."  
  
***  
  
Adrianna hurried out of the dorm in front of all the other girls. Her heavy black lace-up boots were clonking as she went down at top speed.   
  
"What's she in such a rush for?" Gwen asked.   
  
"Seth Patterson." the rest of the girls said in unison.   
  
"Her boyfriend. She's obsessed." Amaris said.   
  
When they got into the Gryffindor Common Room, they were greeted by the sight of Adrianna and Seth kissing in front of the fireplace.   
  
"AHEM!" Rae cleared her throat. "Get a room."   
  
Adrianna giggled and pulled away from Seth, flashing Rae the middle finger.  
  
Besides her room mates and Seth, a group of guys about Gwen's age sat around the fireplace waiting. The girls made their way over and said hi.   
  
Rae turned to Gwen and said, "Gwen, this is Jack." She pointed to a sandy haired guy, who was grinning and talking to the guy sitting next to him. They were both laughing, but Jack stopped to greet Gwen.   
  
"And that's Max Hunter." she told Gwen, indicating the other laughing guy.  
  
He smiled, nodded and said, "Hi Gwen."  
  
"Oh!" Adrianna exclaimed, pointing up. "How could I forget? Mimi-bunbun!" Adrianna said, and  
the spiky haired little creature appeared in her arms.   
  
"Gwen, this is Mister Bunny, but he likes it when you call him Mimi-bunbun." Adrianna said.   
  
Gwen looked sceptically at "Mister Bunny."  
  
"You know... he's actually kinda cute." she said, glad Adriana had decided she was acceptable. "But... mimi bun-bun?" Gwen laughed, but not in a rude way; as she didn't want anyone on her bad side, at least for now.  
  
"I dunno." she answered, smiling.  
  
Gwen shrugged, "If you say so."   
  
  
The group went down to the Great Hall, found seats, and started in on the mountains of food prepared by some of Britain's finest house elves.  
  
As the others discussed who the new DADA teacher might be this time, Gwen was talking to Max about life at Hogwarts. The conversation stopped when Gwen heard a familiar drawl from behind her.  
  
"I'm ashamed, Mudblood. I never thought you'd get sorted into Gryffindor, let alone hang out  
with the Gryffindor scum. I guess I was wrong about you." Draco said, so coldly it seemed to freeze Gwen's blood.   
  
Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice, but she'd never let him see that. She narrowed her eyes at him and spoke in a purr that was filled with the sickly sweet of false sentiment.   
  
"You once called me a pureblood, remember? It's really too bad things have to be like this, it really hurts." she put on a tragically pouty face. "At least stay for poor Draco Jr."  
  
Gwen was a fabulous actress, and she made it obvious to anyone listening that her words were laced with a poisionous sarcasm, though in her heart she meant them. It was her nature to come back with an insult when given one, no matter who it came from, no matter how much she didn't mean it.  
  
Adrianna chimed in from no where, "Yeh! So fuck off Malfoy!"   
  
Draco shook his head and narrowed his silver-grey eyes. "You're not going to last too long when you don't know when to bow to someone." Draco snapped. He turned on his heel and stormed back to the Slytherin table.  
  
Gwen laughed as he left, trying to hide the hurt.   
  
"Like I would EVER bow to anyone, let alone him." Gwen said haughtily as she turned back to her toast and started up her conversation with Max again.  
  
"So how do you like Hogwarts?" Adrianna asked Gwen before shoving a entire muffin in her mouth.  
  
"So Far so good." Gwen said, poking the jelly dish idly with her butter knife.   
  
Gwen's eyes wandered to the Slytherin table.   
  
Draco was back there with Allison and a few other girls, looking a bit bored as they all told him how wonderful he was.   
  
"What's up with you and Malfoy, anyway? When you came you were all buddy-buddy, now you hate each other." Bree inquired, taking a swig of pumpkin juice.  
  
Gwen shrugged.   
  
"He hates Gryffindors." she said simply.  
  
"Well why did he like you before you were a Gryffindor?" Adrianna asked while she was scooping bacon off the plate in the center of the table and putting it in a bag labeled "Mister Bunny's Nummy-Nummy".  
  
"Well, that's obvious, isn't it? I wasn't a Gryffindor then." she said.  
  
"But if the hat put you here, you have the heart of a Gryffindor. Didn't he see that?" Adrianna said.  
  
Gwen looked down at her plate and poked the jelly again, making it wobble like in the Jell-O commercials.  
  
"He thought for sure I'd be a Slytherin... and to tell the truth, so did I."   
  
Adrianna shook her head. "You're no Slytherin, girl," she said, looking with hatred at the table across the Hall.  
  
Gwen shrugged, not really buying it.   
  
She spent the rest of the morning getting to know the other Gryffindors. By the end of the meal she knew that Bree had a very large fear of clowns, she knew that Rae hardly ever took off her skates if she could avoid it, that Adrianna never admitted she was wrong, and that Mister Bunny preffered Premium A Goat Blood over the brands that use preservatives.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
"AAaaachoo!" Draco sneezed loudly. All the girls that were sitting around him at the Slytherin table exchanged looks.   
  
"Uh-oh, Draco. They say when you sneeze, someone's talking about you." one girl said.   
  
"That can't be good." said another.  
  
"Maybe they're talking about how hott he is!" chirped another.  
  
Draco shook his head. "I don't believe in those stupid superstitions." he said, standing up and leaving the Great Hall.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Gwen hung around the lake all afternoon, waiting for him. She had no idea who "he" was, she just knew she HAD to meet him here; that terrible things would happen if she didn't, or so she thought.   
  
The sunlight glinted off of the lake, throwing light like glimmering shards of broken glass. The trees had begun wearing their fall wardrobe, and they burned fierce shades of ochre and crimson.   
  
In the midst of this beauty and color Gwen sat lifeless, oblivious to her surroundings, emotions shut down completely. Some unknown hand had pulled the master switch, and she was out. The world was painted over in shades of grey and she knew nothing as she waited numbly, all her life and sparkle gone until that hand saw fit to give it back.  
  
A shadow fell over her form. She didn't look up. Instead, Gwen got on her knees and bowed her head low, her nose touching the moist grass just above her knees.   
  
"Master." she said quietly, still not looking up.  
  
A low chuckle that held no joy; rough and sounding like metal, emitted from the man that had caused the shadow, the one she called master.   
  
"Now here is a servant I know will never betray me." He seemed to find some irony in his words, and his wit amused him so much he allowed himself another of his horrible laughs. Gwen stayed perfectly motionless, still bowing. She no longer remotely resembled the proud girl who had, just that morning, stated that she would bow for no one.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
